Ocean-Going Robot Hunts for Toxic Algae

By Tanya Lewis, Staff Writer | August 26, 2013 04:24pm ET

The Environmental Sample Processor, or ESP, shown here without its protective casing, is an autonomous water-sampling robot that detects microorganisms using DNA probes and remotely relays the results to scientists over the Internet.Credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Toxic algae and bacteria can really throw a pall over a seafood dinner. To identify algal or bacterial toxins before contaminated fish make it to stores, researchers in California have built a robot sensor that can sniff the blooms out before it's too late.

The so-called Environmental Sample Processor, which looks like a souped-up science fair project, carries instruments that can suck up microbes in water and analyze their DNA and RNA. The machine is being used to identify the kind and amount of toxic species in Washington's Puget Sound.

Detecting toxins before they become a full-fledged bloom could save millions of dollars a year by preventing costly recalls of contaminated seafood, scientists say. If the robot is successful, the scientists, based at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Calif., and Stanford University, will develop a fleet of them to serve as a warning system for fisherman about when to avoid casting their nets.

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Tanya Lewis

Tanya has been writing for Live Science since 2013. She covers a wide array of topics, ranging from neuroscience to robotics to strange/cute animals. She received a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a bachelor of science in biomedical engineering from Brown University. She has previously written for Science News, Wired, The Santa Cruz Sentinel, the radio show Big Picture Science and other places. Tanya has lived on a tropical island, witnessed volcanic eruptions and flown in zero gravity (without losing her lunch!). To find out what her latest project is, you can visit her website.